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davebald80's review against another edition
Though the text is weak, the wonderful illustrated material more than makes up for it.
bluenicorn's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book. It really expounded on symbolism and meanings for a genre that is often dismissed as cheesey pulp. My SOLE issue with this book was that I really wanted the comic entries to be organized more like plates or diagrams, so that when one was referenced, it would say "see page 90" instead of just listing the title of the comic.
itouchedlemmy's review against another edition
4.0
If you ever wanted to see the horror comics of the 1950s studied through an academic lens, then this book is for you. Or if you just want to look at gruesome comic covers, it provides that, as well.
crowyhead's review
3.0
3.5 stars
This was a little bit disappointing, in that it was sort of neither fish nor fowl; it seems a bit like the author both wanted to release a big fancy collection of horror comics, and also write an historical, critical book about them, and the end result is that this book is a mediocre example of both. If you just want to see the horror comics, you will be a bit disappointed, as many of the stories are only alluded to or not reproduced in full; each chapter averages most of one story, along with a lot of covers and a few single pages or frames from other stories. Additionally, if you're looking for in-depth critical discussion of the role horror comics played, or a detailed history of their censorship, you will also be disappointed.
This is still an entertaining book, however, and the paper quality is great -- I doubt the comics have looked this good since they were first printed. It made me want to see out more information about the Comics Code, and find more horror comic reprints.
This was a little bit disappointing, in that it was sort of neither fish nor fowl; it seems a bit like the author both wanted to release a big fancy collection of horror comics, and also write an historical, critical book about them, and the end result is that this book is a mediocre example of both. If you just want to see the horror comics, you will be a bit disappointed, as many of the stories are only alluded to or not reproduced in full; each chapter averages most of one story, along with a lot of covers and a few single pages or frames from other stories. Additionally, if you're looking for in-depth critical discussion of the role horror comics played, or a detailed history of their censorship, you will also be disappointed.
This is still an entertaining book, however, and the paper quality is great -- I doubt the comics have looked this good since they were first printed. It made me want to see out more information about the Comics Code, and find more horror comic reprints.
theartolater's review
5.0
This book was so, so cool. This is a book that's part historical piece about the horror comics of the comics code days, and part museum of sorts, as the book is packed full of covers and excerpts from those classic comics.
It's a great read on its own. The historical primer, both on the time of the comics of the era and of how we got to that point, is fascinating. The pieces are provided in bite-size form, with just enough detail to keep you interested and leaving enough to the imagination that I must have Googled a bunch of different names and figures while reading.
The best part, though, is absolutely the different comics. There's a wide range of different books from the era, from zombie books to skeleton books to alien horror to some really gruesome (for the time) stuff. You look at them today at how corny they are, and yet you realize how much they got the government nervous.
Absolutely worth your time if you care about comics, or history, or some combination of the two. A really, really fun read.
It's a great read on its own. The historical primer, both on the time of the comics of the era and of how we got to that point, is fascinating. The pieces are provided in bite-size form, with just enough detail to keep you interested and leaving enough to the imagination that I must have Googled a bunch of different names and figures while reading.
The best part, though, is absolutely the different comics. There's a wide range of different books from the era, from zombie books to skeleton books to alien horror to some really gruesome (for the time) stuff. You look at them today at how corny they are, and yet you realize how much they got the government nervous.
Absolutely worth your time if you care about comics, or history, or some combination of the two. A really, really fun read.
sistermagpie's review
3.0
This is another book I've had on my shelf for years and finally got to reading. A lot of it is reprinted horror comics from the 50s, which are always great. These are punctuated by little essays on different patterns and motifs in them and some of those were pretty interesting, but nothing really amazed me. One of the more interesting anecdotes was about a comic that was one of those mid-20th century racial allegories, the type that you might find on Star Trek, and was here almost censored just for being about race. It's also the only story where a black person seems to appear without being a cannibal, because it's the 50s.
mari_elwood's review
5.0
This book is freaking awesome. Not only does it have bits of old comics in it, but it gives the background behind those comics and the comics of the time period. It's not flimsy paper either; it's very sturdy. The coloring is also nicely done.
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